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t the April Town Board Meeting Commissioners discussed the various methods of slowing traffic on Hodges Street, the ongoing search to find contractors for town projects, and a proposed Police Assistance Form for the public or event organizers.

There were 17 members of the public in attendance. All Commissioners and the Mayor were present: Commissioners David White, Charlie Overcash, Alan Price, Sandy Winfrey, Frank Roe, and Mayor Sally Belangia.

Speeding by The Bean

Hodges Street has heavy pedestrian traffic and a posted speed limit of 15 mph. Commissioners and residents have both noted cars speeding on the road, stating it in the meetings.

Commissioners discussed using pop-up crosswalk signs, rumble strips, and stop signs.

There were cautions raised with each method: the pop-up crosswalk signs are made to be run over and will eventually need to be replaced, the rumble strips degrade a road already in need of repair, and a stop sign will require an amendment to the General Ordinance.

Commissioners settled on setting up a pop-up cross-walk sign and rumble strips as a starting point. Commissioner Alan Price asked for the radar to be set up before and after the installation to get comparative data on speeding.

Rules & Procedures Adopted

Commissioners agreed to adopt a Rules & Policies Procedure based on the same from the City of Denton.

Commissioners also agreed, with exception of Alan Price, to retain meeting recordings for a calendar year and a half. Residents will be able to make an appointment to come in and listen to recordings.

Commissioner Price was in favor of keeping all recordings indefinitely.

The way meeting minutes have been recorded has changed; they are more in line with the suggestions from the School of Government. As a result, they are more condensed than earlier versions. Commissioner Price asked that the new method of recording minutes record the names of public speakers and the subjects they spoke on.

Town Manager Diane Miller, who writes out the meeting minutes, said it would be added to the minutes going forward.

Board Appointments

• Laura McDonald and Linda Hoff have been appointed to the Tourism Board.
• The Coastal Resource Advisory Council is looking for representatives from Oriental. David Szerlag spoke up from the audience and said he would be interested, but need to know more. He will speak morewith Town Manager Miller about the position to determine if it is a good fit.

Police Report

Officer Nic Blayney reported to the Board he had drafted a form for a police escort request. The form came about as a result of not being able to accommodate a request for police presence at a funeral procession; the request came in one hour prior to the being needed and the officers were involved with other calls.

Officer Blayney said the police escort request, once finalized, will be available on the town website for residents. Currently, Officer Blayney is looking at a minimum three day notice, but will consider requests on a case by case basis.

Officer Blayney reworked the Police Reports to give a better understanding of where officers’ time is spent: he broke out the ‘Assist Other Agencies’ category into Assist with the Fire Department, Emergency Services, and Animal Control.

Manager’s Report

• Town Manager Diane Miller said the Board needed to discuss the rising costs of gas prices and their impact on the Town’s Budget. To help reduce costs, she had asked Public Works to reduce their idling times on vehicles and to cut the grass every other week instead of every week. Public Works are to minimize their gasoline usage as much as they can.
• Members of Public Works came in on Saturday, March 12 to pick up after the storm. They were paid overtime.
• Repairs on water softener #2 at the Water Plant have begun. Manager Miller said it should make a visible difference in the town’s water as well as help reduce the cost of salt, which has been on the rise.

Commissioner Comments

Commissioner David White said he the town had a diver in to look at the pilings on town dock #1 at Hodges Street. The diver reported that he had found damage, but that the dock was structurally sound. White suggested hiring the diver to go down and check the docks every six months.

Commissioner White was also talking to more contractors to work on the Net House. Of the 5 he spoke with, 2 did not have licenses and the others were too busy. He was looking into the possibility to have a contractor hire sub contractors to do the work.

The Board held a brief closed session.

Dates to Know

The next Town Board Meeting will be Tuesday, May 3 at 8a.

Related Information

• April Meeting Agenda
• Tourism Board Appointments
• Coastal Resources Advisory Council Nomination
• Hodges Street Crosswalk Options
• Policy & Procedures
• Police Report
• Manager’s Report
• Auxiliary Board Reports

Posted Tuesday April 19, 2022 by Allison DeWeese